Thus They Moved Awhile, pp. 605-606 & Closing Remarks for the Canto One

Opening remarks
Thus the three moved awhile through this world.

Last without being
Thus all could last yet nothing ever be.

All could be in this world as if lasting forever but nothing was true or complete. It was hints and suggestions.

Centre of charm
In this beauty as of mind made visible,
Dressed in its rays of wonder Satyavan
Before her seemed the centre of its charm,
Head of her loveliness of longing dreams
And captain of the fancies of her soul.

In this realm of beauty made visible, Satyavan appeared dressed in rays of wonder. He walked before her as her centre of charm, the head of her loveliness, of her longing dreams, captain of the fancies of her soul. This is the place that Satyavan held in her heart that became visible in this world where imagination and fantasy seemed true.

Dreadful majesty of Death’s face
Even the dreadful majesty of Death’s face
And its sombre sadness could not darken nor slay
The intangible lustre of those fleeting skies.

Death’s face was a dreadful majesty whose sombre darkness could no more darken or slay the intangible lustre of the fleeting skies of those worlds.

Dark contrast
The sombre Shadow sullen, implacable
Made beauty and laughter more imperative;
Enhanced by his grey, joy grew more bright and dear;
His dark contrast edging ideal sight
Deepened unuttered meanings to the heart;
Pain grew a trembling undertone of bliss
And transience immortality’s floating hem,
A moment’s robe in which she looked more fair,
Its antithesis sharpening her divinity.

It was as if the sombre, sullen Shadow of death made laughter and beauty more imperative, his grey enhanced the brightness of the joy. It was as if the contrast deepened the sight of the Ideal, pain grew a trembling undertone of bliss and transience the floating hem of immortality, a moment’s robe in which immortality looked fairer, sharpening her divinity by its antithesis.

Comrade of the Ray
A comrade of the Ray and Mist and Flame,
By a moon-bright face a brilliant moment drawn,
Almost she seemed a thought mid floating thoughts,
Seen hardly by a visionary mind
Amid the white inward musings of the soul.

Savitri herself seemed a comrade of the Ray and Mist and Flame due to her moon-bright face as if drawn in a brilliant moment. She seemed almost a thought amidst floating thoughts seen hardly by a visionary mind amidst the white inward musings of her soul. These were the brilliant thoughts that arose in her mind as a result of her soul’s inward musing. They had taken a form there and made her face full of their moon-bright lustre.

Enchantment’s soil
Half-vanquished by the dream-happiness around,
Awhile she moved on an enchantment’s soil,
But still remained possessor of her soul.

Half-vanquished by the dream happiness around, Savitri moved in this enchanting realm, yet still remained possessor of her soul.

Eternal star
Above, her spirit in its mighty trance
Saw all, but lived for its transcendent task,
Immutable like a fixed eternal star.

Above this realm, her spirit in its mighty trance saw all, but lived for its transcendent task, mutable like a fixed eternal star. She moved through this realm fully conscious and in possession of her soul.

Closing Remarks
This realm was neither real nor unreal, built with human stuff, light of the ideals formed in the human mind, carrying in it the brilliant touch of Heaven.

Closing Remarks of the Canto

This Canto reveals to us the second phase of the journey after the soul leaves the body. It plunges into the subconscient and the dark vital world. Then it emerges into a bright world. It is these that have been called as the hell and heaven in popular literature. But these are largely states of consciousness and realms that human thought and imagination has built through which we sojourn in our transition from life to life.